


Funny When Your Dead How People Start Listening

by orphan_account



Series: Family means no-one gets left behind or Forgotten [2]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Canonical Character Death, Damian Wayne-centric, Dead Tim Drake, Gen, Hurt Damian Wayne, Hurt Tim Drake, Lazarus Pit ex machina, Summery subject to change, Tim Drake-centric, Time Skips, Title from "If I Die Young" by The Band Perry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-05
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:14:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 4,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24018859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: It's Been 5 years since Timothy Drake-Wayne's death and nobody has been taking it well, even Damian. But when a new Anti-Hero named Mockingjay arrives in Gotham, the family comes to a conclusion that they should have come up to a long time ago.
Relationships: Tim Drake & Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake & Damian Wayne, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson, Tim Drake & Jason Todd
Series: Family means no-one gets left behind or Forgotten [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1732285
Comments: 21
Kudos: 185





	1. 'Cause These Words Are Knives That Often Leave Scars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Title:This Is Gospel-Panic! At The Disco
> 
> This Chapter is a recap! I repeat: this chapter is a recap!

_It's been years now_ Damian told himself at 4:00 am. Ever since _That Day_ 5 years ago, he hasn't been able to sleep _You need to get over it_

_But if there was something I could do...If I didn't listen-_

_There was NOTHING you could do, NOTHING. Not listening wouldn't have changed a thing_

Damian was 18 now and in College. He got A's and B's in most of his classes and he even joined a college sports Team, so life was good.

But his thoughts kept coming back to _That Day_

If you're one of the poor souls who have asked him what _That Day_ was, you would either A)Get Blown Off, B)Get angrily yelled at, C) Get the"Car Accident" excuse,or D) a hellish mixture of all three

Either way, he will not speak about it, so I-as the narrator- will.

It all started with a Mission saving civilians from the Joker.

* * *

<5 Years Ago>

Robin and Red Robin had been chasing The Joker for approximately 30 minutes. He had been up to his nnormal shenanigans -Killing people, stealing things, the usual- when the Robins showed up to stop the white skinned green haired clown right in his tracks.

"Robin, you get the hostages out of here, I'll handle Joker" Red Robin told his more Yellow counterpart before heading to make a strike on the Joker

"Don't tell me what to do" Robin spat, before doing the task anyways

While Robin was getting all of the hostages to safety, Red was fighting the Joker. The Clown had a knife on him and he was swinging it like his life depended on it. Red Robin used his staff and quickly used it to disarm his opponent.

He should have expected that the Joker didn't only have a knife

The older Robin tried moving out of the way of the bullet fire and tried disarming the Joker again but the Clown caught the staff mid-swing.

Red Robin's baby-blue eyes grew wide with fear as he tried to get out of the way of the gun fire by leaving his staff and sprinting away

The Joker, meanwhile had other plans

*blam*

The bullet struck the young adults rib cage, nearly touching his left lung

* * *

<3 Hours Later>

When Alfred was done treating the wounds from the battle, Damian came down to check up on his hurt preddacessor, who was now-Thankfully-unconscious.

 _Jason was right, Drake really would go to Hell and back for me_ Damian had thought, recounting a conversation the 2 had had a few nights prior

"I-I know you can't hear me, or can you? I don't know. But, regardless" _Oh god, this is harder than I thought_ "Just know that...I'm sorry, alright? For all those words I've said, for the times I've almost killed you...I know you've been through worse it's just..." Damian was so close to crying _Stupid, stupid STUPID! Like you've said, he's been through worse_ "I was actually THERE this time and you directed me away...was it because you didn't wasn't me to share the same fate as To-Jason? " Damian heard a beeping and then looked at the Heart Monitor and- 

Oh no....

It was flat-Linening

"PE-" _No time!"_ ALFRED!" Damian yelled, worried 

Alfred got down to the cave as fast as he could, noticed the Heart-monitor and immediately started doing CPR but...

It was too late

Dra- 

_Timothy_ Was...dead

* * *

The Joker died the following morning

And his Father didn't have the energy of the want to stop Jason

* * *

An assassin watched Damian from a tree near his bedroom window, but was cleverly hidden enough so that he wasn't spotted

_It's been so long. Don't worry;_

**_I'll be home soon_ **


	2. You Can Take My Heart, You Can Take My Breath(When you pry it from my cold dead hands)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Title:The Resistance-Skillet

Tim remembered the day like it was yesterday(Well, it was a couple years ago now, but still!)

Let's get 1 thing out of the way:Tim was supposed to be dead, and he was...kind of. Legally;Yes, he was dead. Physically...no, he was super alive

How did we get here? Well....two words

Lazarus Pit 

And those two words help explain so much right now that it's horrifying.

* * *

<2 Years Ago>

"Gah!" Tim woke up with a start. He was dead, wasn't he? He died in the batcave and was in the afterlife. ..right?

So we're was he-

He looked down at his hands

Oh

Pit

 _Ra's, of course_ Tim gave himself a mental face palm. Of course, he should have thought of that

Tim heard a figure slow clapping and soon was face to face with the Demons Head himself in all of his wrinkly glory

"Welcome detective, how was your vacation?"

"What do you want, _Ra's_ " Tim spat, purposefully mispronouncing the name

"Relax Detective, I have only come to offer you a...deal of sorts"

"Whatever it is, the answer is already no"

Ra's smirked "We'll see about that, but do get dressed first"

* * *

_knock knock knock_

"come in... "

The assassins came into his room. There were 3 of them, 2 women and 1 men "He would like to see you now"

Tim sighed and went with the Ninjas to Ra's al Ghul's...office? Chamber's?...Tim didn't know or care enough.

Tim shooed away the ninja's before speaking "What do you want, Ra's?"

"Nothing much..." Ra's said smoothly " Just was going t I make you an offer-"

"-that I can't refuse?" Tim deadpanned 

"Ah, I knew you watched the classics. Yes, an offer you can't refuse. I was going to ask you to...train here and maybe even join the-"

"No"

Ra's was taken aback "no? What do you mean 'no'?"

"I'm not going to join your stupid league"

"Will you at the very least consider training with us? I think you will find out methods very...extraordinary"

Tim thought for a moment before answering "I'll think about it"

"Good, I'll expect your answer by tomorrow night, no later than 10:00"

* * *

 _Stupid, stupid, stupid!_ Tim thought to himself as he entered his guest room _Why are you even considering this?! There the League of Assasins! Keyword:Assasins!_

_look on the bright side:New techniques!_

_As. Sas. Ins! Bruce is so not going to-_

_who cares what Bruce thinks?! Definitely not you!_

Tim walked into the bathroom to take a look at his reflection and...

oh god...

due to the pit, his skin had gotten a shade lighter than before the pit, now being a pale, ghostly white instead of his usual yellowish tan. He had also gotten a few white streaks in his hair, one being close to where Jason's was and one behind his left ear

"Woah..."

* * *

"So, have you made your choice?" Ra's asked the following evening

 _are you sure about this?_ The Dick sounding voice In his head asked

 _I'm sure_ he thought back

"Yes. I-I'll train with you" He answered "But that's it!" He added last minute

Ra's smiled "good, that was all I needed"

* * *

Tim trained with the League for a year, learning how to use various other, more _lethal_ weapons than Batman allowed on the feild. From various types of swords to handguns and snipers, plus a few meditation and fighting techniques to boot. If he wanted to go back to Gotham anytime soon, well, who knows who would recognize them now.

"Before you go, be aware that the Clown has been...taken care of"

Tim's eyes widen in shock _Did Bruce do this, no, Bruce didn't do this...Maybe Jason or Damian?_

_Well, it gave them an excuse so... Probably one of them_

Regardless, all he knows is that the Clown Prince of Crime is Dead _but that doesn't mean that the others are_


	3. There's a Place In The Dark (Where our stories go to hide)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Title:Circus Of The Dead-Try Hard Ninja

"Hey! I think you'd wanna see this!" Jason called from the living room.

Damian and his Father put down what they had been eating and wwent to the living room to see the news report

"-a new face has been seen-or Rumored-in Gotham last night as a vigilante known simply as 'Mockingjay' took down Scarecrow. With the Fear based villains body was a note with the lyrics of the song _The Hanging Tree._ Will we see more of this Hunger Games-esque Vigilante? Only time will tell. Now, her-" Jason turned off the News at that moment

"So, theirs a new vigilante in town, huh?" Father said

"'perantly. Took down Cranes whole crew. From what I've heard, they're so scary that Scarecrows willing to be in Arkham for life if he doesn't have to face ' em again" Jason helpfully added

"...I'm going to pay a visit to Gordon" Father said, going down to the Batcave

"DON'T SCARE HIM-"Jason yelled before being shut up by Damian

* * *

"So, I've heard there's a new vigilante in town?" Batman said, scaring the begibers out of the Commissioner

"Yeah, frighteningly efficient to. Honest to god, his style is a mixture between the past and current Red Robins"

The Bat quilted his eyebrow at that(it wasn't like Gordon could see it) then asked "Can I see the note that was left?"

"huh?" Gordon said, wondering how Batman knew about that 

"The Note. Now"

"Ok, ok!" Gordan rummaged through his desk before finding the note and handing it to Batman

"Thank you, commissioner" Batman said before leaving

* * *

"Whatcha got there?" Jordan Smith-The new Robin after Damian stepped down-asked 

"A note left at Scarecrows crime scene"

"Oh! The one where the new vigilante debuted?"

"Yes, that one."

" What's it say?"

"Lyrics to a song, still wondering what it means"

_Are you, are you, coming to the tree_

_Where they strung up a man_

_They say who murdered 3_

_Strange things did happen here_

_No stranger would it be_

_If we met, at midnight in_

_the Heanging Tree_

"hm, well we at least know that we have a themed vigilante"

"more like Anti hero, but yes, they are themed"

"What are we going to do about it, train them?"

"That's the thing, they don't _need_ training. According to Gordon, his fighting style is closely similar to Damians, so he's more than likely league trained"

"Did you scan the paper for fingerprints?"

"Yes, and there aren't any, so he was smart and had gloves on"

"Darn it!" Jordan yelled, punching the nearest thing (which was a training dummy)

"Hey kiddo, wanna go on patrol?" Bruce asked Jordan, who was punching the training dummy to help and back

"Yeah, I'll get ready"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Timeline notes-Damian became Red Robin on his fifteenth birthday, stepping down from the Robin position.
> 
> 3 months later, Bruce meets Jordan Smith; An orphan who's parents were killed by Riddler that day
> 
> Bruce did his normal thing and bada bing, bada boom, New Robin


	4. No One Ever Had Much Nice To Say(I think they never liked you anyway)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Title:Dead!-My Chemical Romance
> 
> Also:Guide to Tim's thought process
> 
> Itallics:Normal thoughts  
> Itallics+Bold:Lazarus Pit  
> Itallics, Bold+Underline:Dick grayson A.K.A Voice of Reason

Tim was feeling _Great_

Not only did he make himself known across Gotham, but he may have permanently gotten rid of Scarecrow and his...gang? Squad? --who cares-by what really causes fear

The ones who you care about dying in Front of you with the murderer using their cold, bloody hands...or a knife...whichever was more sufficient

Now, Tim didn't know if Crane actually cared about his cronies. The way he reacted to their deaths suggested he did, however, so the method actually _worked_ , so that was a win.

Tim got back to his safehouse;An apartment a few blocks away from Crime Alley. He slipped threw the window and took off his costume;dark gray armor with electric blue accents with a full faced mask and a hood. Tim thought he looked awesome.

Tim contemplated taking a shower before going to bed. The only responsibility he currently has was the night job so he put off the self care for the day and went back to work.

* * *

<10:35 PM, Diamond District>

Mockingjay was running across the roof tops, breathing in that sweet, polluted Gotham air. _Ah, good to be home._ Catwoman apparently had a heist planned tonight and Mockingjay planned to stop it.

_Let's just hope without any more casualties_

**_Aww, still squeamish about the concept of_** _ **killing**?_ The Lazarus Pit side of him cooed

_You shut up_

Mockingjay had found the cat about to enter the rooftop of the building two buildings to his left

Catwoman spotted him too

...and apparently the Bay's

**_Great, just perfect_ **

_Will you shut up?_

**_no_ **

"stop right there!" The...10 year old? Called out to Mockingjay

_either Dami 's age was reversed or He finally gave up the mantel_

_**Eh, probably the former** _

_Nope, definitely the latter, Dami would have killed me...again...if it was the former_

**_while you two are arguing, you haven't been focusing on the Bat's_** Tim's Voice of Reason told him

_Oh...your right_

"what are you gonna do, shoot me?"

 _"_ ha,ha, very funny" the new Robin said sarcastically

_Well, at least we know he has a sense of humor_

** _is now really the time for sarcasm?_ **

**_Yes_ **

_Yes_

"Robin, focus"

_Well, at least he hasn't changed_

"yeah, Robin, _Focus"_ This little remark earned Mockingjay a batarang to the face

_thank god my new costumes bulletproof_

"now, what do you want _Mockingjay_?" Batman growled

"Hmmm" Mockingjay faked being lost in thought for a moment "be a hunger games themed anti-hero attempting to clean up Gothams streets and...Catwomans getting away..."

This had caught the dynamic duo attention before Mockingjay does off, leaving a note behind that he had written up in case an encounter like this happened

_Are you, are you_

_coming to the tree_

_where the dead man called out_

_For hIs love to flee_

_Strange things did happen here_

_no stranger would it be_

_If we met_

_at midnight_

_In the hanging tree_ ,

Mockingjay was only going to use this note for encounters with the family

 _hopefully they'll get the hint_ Mockingjay remembered the billions of times he had to tell the family-or normal bystanders-to run while in near death experiences

**_oh, I can't wait till they find out_ **

_it will be hilarious_

Mockingjay could hear his voice of reason-which still sounded like Dick-groaning


	5. I Wasn't Dreaming When They Told Me You Were Gone(I was wide awake and feeling that they had to be wrong)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Title:Red Like Roses part 2-RWBY

Dick hasn't been at the manor for approximately 3 years

Now, he frequents the Batcave regularly, but the Manor? Oh no, he doesn't go up there anymore(he doesn't even attend family dinners anymore, which offends Alfred. Shame on you, Richard)

Now, this is a him problem, and is just blatant exposition as to why narrator hasn't mentioned him yet and has nothing to do with the chapter. Moving on-

"What does this MEAN!?!?" Bruce was almost on fire at this point. He had been examining the note Mockingjay left behind when he escaped. He had assumed that the lyrics had something to do with the person they where left with-Because he knew that yes, even though he likes to keep his hands clean, Scarecrow did kill- so he was wondering what the lyrics left with him meant

_Where the dead man called out_

_For his love to flee_

Bruce was pacing at this point _there had to be a reason, who is or was dead that used to call out for people to flee from something?_

Of course he thought Tim, but he didn't think he would bring himself to kill people _Plus he wouldn't sass me so much_

Then he thought Jason, But Jason wouldn't want to grow his already huge list of mantels, Red Hood, Robin, Arkham Knight, Red X... 

_Plus all of the ones I DON'T know of..._

"sir, I think it's time for you to go to bed" Alfred said, startling him

"Yeah... Maybe..."

"you also have a board meeting tomorrow and I don't think Mister Fox would appreciate it if you were late"

"...your right, I'll go to bed"

Alfred walked off, leaving Bruce with the slip of paper

* * *

In the space affectionately known as Crime Alley stood two anti-Heroes. They both played with the good guys, but times changed and Clowns killed soo...

One knows who the other is

The other does not

...this is going to be interesting

"What do you want, Mockingjay?"

" y'know, the Big Bad Bat asked me the same question, so I'll give you the same answer; attempt to clean up Gothams streets 'Cause after Joker you got lazy"

"No I didn't"

"Ya sure about that?"

"OK, Big guy got lazy, I didn't"

Mockingjay thought for a moment "sounds about right"

"Anyway,WHO ARE YOU?!?"

Mockingjay chuckles "Why would I answer that, _Jason,_ That ruins the fun"

Red Hood stood back, _How-_

"Don't think I don't know. I also won't tell you how I know that."

Mockingjay then escaped while Red Hood stood there speechless, leaving the same note he left Batman and Robin


	6. They Left Us Alone,The Kids In The Dark(To burn out forever, or light up a spark)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Title:The Kids In The Dark-All Time Low

"Hey B!" Jason called out when he got into the Batcave after the encounter with Mockingjay "We've got a problem"

Bruce got up from his seat at the Batcomputer, walking over to Jason "Damian got a new pet-" Because some things never change "-or All of Gotham knows our identities" 

" _Our new friend_ knows _my_ identity" Jason corrected

Bruce cursed "That's not much better"

"No shit Sherlock, what do we do now?"

"Who knows, but one thing's for certain"

"And what's that?"

Bruce looked at the file he was working on concerning the identity of Mockingjay 

"I think I know who Mockingjay is"

* * *

"Breaking News:a few minutes prior to air, another Gotham Crazy has just become victim to our new Anti-Hero, Mockingjay. This one being none other than the Plant lady herself, Poison Ivy. Unfortunately however, it did lead to the tragic death of our beloved Harley Quinn. Sources tell us that she 'Went into the van crying and without arms'. More on this story after the weather"

* * *

"He's WHAT?!?" Damian yelled, storming into the batcave 

"I told you, Damian, it's just a theory" His father said trailing behind him while trying to calm him down

"A theory with a lot of evidence pointing towards it, Father" Damian said, grabbing his costume

His version of the Red Robin costume had a few minor yet noticeable changes. For starters, instead of a cowl, it copied Damians old Robin costume and had a Hood-Domino combo. The symbol was inverted, now being Black symbol on yellow background and the utility belt was an actual belt and not criss-crossed on his chest.

"Going out?" His Father asked him

"Tt, of course, I want to meet this 'Mockingjay' for myself and see if it is...him..."

"Well, good luck"

* * *

Red Robin ran across Gothams rooftops, occasionally stopping to get a view of the sea of skyscrapers, attempting to find Mockingjay,but he wasn't showing.

"Mockingjay isn't show-" Red said into the comm to Oracle before getting cut off by -

"Looking for me?"

"I stand corrected..." Red Robin mumbled before correcting himself and turning off his comm. "Greetings, Mockingjay" He greeted

"Hello, _Red_ Robin"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Current Kills:  
> Tim  
> 2 unnamed Scarecrow Goons  
> Harley Quinn
> 
> Reformed Baddies in Arkham:  
> Scarecrow  
> Poison Ivy


	7. And I'll Tell You All About It (when I see you again)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Title:See You Again-Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth

There was a few minutes of silence before either of them spoke.

"....is it you?" Red Robin asked, while Mockingjay supposedly smirked under his mask

"That depends on who 'you' is. Is 'you' dear old Grayson? Or is 'you' Cain? Oh, wait! Can 'you' possibly be dear, idiotic, useless Drake?" Mockingjay responded with a hint of malice.

_Oh great, I'm going to hate myself so, so much after this._

_Why did it have to come to this?_

** _You already hate yourself, what makes this thing any_ ** _**different**?_

_I'm going to have to quote_ Him _to get through to Dra-..._ Timothy

The Family had developed a way of getting through to family members either under mind control pollens, Scarecrow's fear toxin, or just needing to confirm it's someone they know. It was basically a 'finish the lyrics/quote'. It was started by Richard(as a joke, mind you) but it actually worked so... Damian never did it unless the family member was about to kill him and even then it was rare. For example:Richards was Britney Spears, 80's music or some random, cheesy pop song. Jason's was quotes from The Office. Cassandra's was Classic Book Quotes and Timothys...was John Mulaney quotes.(Damian's was What Does The Fox Say or Baby Shark but you will NEVER get him to admit it)

Red Robin mentally groaned before whispering so only Mockingjay could hear him

" _Because we're Delta Airlines"_ Red Robin whispered, waiting for Mockingjay to respond

" ... _And life is a fucking nightmare"_ Mockingjay responded before taking his mask off and guiding RR to his apartment

* * *

"So" Tim started the conversation "not gonna try and kill me?"

"Tt, preposterous." Damian responded with a stuck-up attitude clearly meant to make fun of his younger self, before dropping it to say "no, I am absolutely not gonna kill you..."

Tim thought for a few moments before saying "OK....so...what happened while I was...Y'know..." Tim dragged a finger across his neck while gritting his teeth

Damian sighed "well, Jason moved into the manor for good, Cassandra and Richard don't visit the manor that much-not at all, really- I started college to become a veterinarian, Father adopted another child, speaking of Father, he doesn't talk to the League anymore, only ever talking to Kent for interviews and Queen for business."

Little did Tim know, while Damian was explaining all of that, he was sending his coordinates to Dick(With no explanation, obviously)

* * *

-bzzzz-

Nightwing was patrolling Blüdhaven when he got the message.

At first, he thought nothing of it and was going to check it when he went back to his apartment, but it has been a slow night-shockingly- so he saw no harm in checking what the message was.

He looked at the number it came from. _Dami? What does he need-_

Then he saw the message

_Coordinates? Why is he sending me coordinates?_

Nightwing thought 'Screw it, must be important' and went to find out where the coordinates led too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you have -rightfully- guessed, that while "Finish the Lyric /quote" was an excuse to have Tim quote John Mulaney, but it was funny, right? R..right?
> 
> Moving on, yay! Dickies gonna find out Tim's alive!


	8. We're Going Down, Down, In An Earlier Round(And sugar, we're going down swinging)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Title:Sugar, We're Going Down-Fall Out Boy

"Red, I got your message! Is everything ok-" Nightwing said, bursting into the apartment before stoping himself when he saw Tim "T-Tim?" 

"Dick?!" Tim looked at Damian, who had on a small smile(something Tim was still not used to seeing) 

"Is it really him....?" Dick asked Damian

" Yes, Richard. It is him. You can check if you want" Damian responded

Dick sighed" _Wow, that Tall Child looks terrible. Get some rest tall child"_

 _"You can't keep burning the candle at both ends"_ Tim replied before being pulled into a big hug

"Ohmahgoditisyou"and there were tears everywhere while Dick was speaking so fast it was incomprehensible(something about missing a few Star Wars movies and a terrible president)

"Um...you can let me go now..." Tim somehow got out, he could barely breath!

_**at this rate, he's going to kill you again** _

_shut. Up._

**_what! I'm just_ ** _**saying**!_

"I'd have to agree, the little color that is in Timothy's face is slowly being drained away"

That was when Dick got a good look at Tim's features. He was ghostly pale and had a couple white streaks in his no-one at the front where almost everyone could see it and one behind his left ear. He also had the pits signature emerald green eyes with a few hints of Tim's original baby blue. He almost didn't recognize him, but his Big-Brother instincts (And the John Mulaney quote) told him it was Tim.

"Does B-" Dick started before being cut off

"Father heavily suspects it is him" Damian cut in "But has yet to see for himself"

"Well then! What are we waiting for?" Dick clapped his hands together as he said this

"Would it really be a good idea?" Tim asked

"We won't know until we try!" 

Damian sighed "I'll message him the coordinates" 

* * *

Bruce was looking at the file with a sense of discomfort

_It can't be Tim...can it?_

_All the evidence is pointing to it being Tim_

_Even if it was him, would he bring himself to kill people?_

_Wouldn't be the first_ _time_ Bruce then remembered Jason

_Ok, say it was Tim, how would he even be alive?_

_Uh, hello? Lazarus Pit? Ra's wouldn't want Tim to STAY Dead!_

Bruce mentally sighed _Good point_

That was when Bruce got the message from Damian _Coordinates? No explanation either..._

Bruce then plugged the coordinates into the Batcomputer. It was a studio apartment a few blocks away from Crime Ally.

_I should investigate_


	9. I Know The Worlds A Broken Bone(but Melt your headaches, call it home)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> -Exposition as to how Damian acquired the Red Robin mantel-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Title:Northern Downpour -Panic! At The Disco

<Flashback>

"Happy Birthday, Damian! "

The day was Damian's 15th birthday. For most, a milestone. Congratulations! 15 years of life. You've somehow made it this far even though the ground you walk on will implode at any moment, but forget about that and eat cake.

Damian rarely celebrated his birthday anymore. Well, he rarely celebrated his birthday to begin with, but now it was even more apparent. He wasn't planning a party, but seems like he doesn't have a choice as Richard went and threw a birthday party and invited practically all of Gotham

 _Thait's an exageration_ He reminded himself _there is no way we would fit all of Gotham into the Manor_

Plus, most of the guest's were -in one way shape or form-related to or a part of the Justice League. So they were not even from Gotham.

"Hey, Dami? You feeling alright?" Richard asked

" Hm? Oh, yes, just...lost in thought"Damian responded

"Ok, do you want some cake?"

"Yes, that will be sufficient" Damian went back to observing all of the guest.

* * *

The party was over, and his Father hasn't shown up at all.

Apperantly, it was for a "very important reason" but they all knew that it was because he was to busy brooding in the Batcave to pay attention to childish things such as Birthdays and being there for your child on a very important milestone in his short lifespan,a so...

Damian decided to make one last stop before heading to the baggage for patrol. He walked up to Timothy's gravestone and kneeled down, placing the flowers. The bouquet consisted of chrysanthemums and zinnias.

"Hello, Timothy." Damian started "It's Been a while, how have you been? I have been well. Today was my 15th birthday, but you already knew that. I was going to ask you a question, and you don't have to answer; May I take over your old mantel? I know you never got a voice when I became Robin-and that has become something that I began to deeply regret- so I came to ask you if I can become Red Robin. Can I have a sign. Any, just, something to tell me that it is a yes or a no"

The wind starts to blow, and the trees in the graveyards start to sway, like a head nodding up and down. 

That was all Damian needed.

* * *

"Your WHAT?!?" Dick yelled, the words echoing across the batcave.

"I'm allowing him to take up Tim's old mantel" Bruce repeated

"I know but...why?" Dick said, the words coming out sounding more like a dying cat.

Even Bruce didn't know why he was doing this, but he knew deep down that this had to be done.

Finally, Bruce answered "The mantel is currently open. Even if Tim managed to be revived; would he _want_ to be Red Robin again? The mantel was born out of necessity, not want."

Dick was already in tears, but then he did something Bruce should have expected of his eldest son;

He stormed out of the Batcave

With his back to Bruce

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today in Author News:  
> I GOT A NEW BED!!
> 
> AND I DYED MY HAIR BLOOD RED!!!
> 
> Alright, that is all


	10. If You Look In The Mirror And Don't Like What You See(You will find out firsthand what it's like to be me)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Title:The End-My Chemical Romance
> 
> Fitting, don't you think? Seeing as this is the final chapter?

Batman rolled up to the address that was given to him by Nightwing. He was suspicious, sure. Seeing as Nightwing rarely messaged him at all anymore. But when he did, he new that it is important.

he went to the apartment as instructed. When he opened the door, he found both Nightwing and Red Robin standing in front of something-or someone - like it was a birthday present not wanted to be seen by him.

"Hey, B" Nightwing greeted with a small smile _Weird._ because even if this is Nightwing(who should be smiling every minute of every day) he hasn't smiled in front of Batman in years.

"Hello, Father" Said Red Robin in response, also having small smirk on his face(even more uncommon)

"What is it you two?" Batman demanded in his dark, gravelly voice 

" Well... " both of the former Robins said before moving from where they were standing to reveal....

T...im...?

"tim..." Bruce whispered befo4e running towards him at top speed .

"H-hey B" Tim said trying to get air

"When we get back to the manor, your grounded" Bruce said in between sobs

"eh, Sounds right"

"Question?" Dick directed at Tim" How do you feel about Damian having your mantel?"I

"Honestly, he can keep it. I knew he was going to take it _sometime_ after I die or retire, just didn't know when" Tim answered

Damian was shocked. Everyone knew he was going to get his father's mantel, why would he suspect-let alone knew-that he would want his mantel after his death?

"How did you suspect that?" Damian asked

"Hey, you always said you were a better Robin then me, I would think you would want to prove that you were a better Red Robin than me too" Tim answered 

Damian out his finger up like he was about to fight back, but put it down to show that Tim was right.

"Anyways, How's college going for ya, Dami?" Tim asked, trying to lighten the mood

"Adequate, but shouldn't we be discussing things like this back at the manor?"

"You're right, Damian. Let's get back. Also" Bruce looked towards Dick" You are coming back to the manor. And we'll be discussing your newfound habit of ignoring Family dinner and Movie night. You are making Alfred very upset"

Tim gasped "Shame on you, Richard!" (DICk looked very offended at this, so it worked)

and they all lived Happily ever after....Maybe....not re-

~End~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may make a third installment, but not right now.
> 
> Should I though? I -personally - think this is a good ending, but let me know what you think!


End file.
